Air-layering a liquidambar after collection

[Hbhaska]

This tree was collected last August. It’s been through one season of Fall, winter and spring. Now it’s flushing growth like crazy and generally in good shape. I would like to air-layer the top but should I wait until next year or can I do this in the summer of this year, a few months from now?

 

[Darth Masiah]

i don't think you can airlayer sweetgum. I've tried and failed. it's already hard enough finding one with enough roots to collect.

 

[Cmd5235]

What's the status on this tree?

 

[Hbhaska]

What's the status on this tree?

Air-layered a couple weeks ago. No evidence of roots yet. If there are no roots, will let it be this season and chop next season below the air-layer; regardless of whether or not the air-layering worked.

 

[Hbhaska]

Update 9/10/2021: first sign of roots!

 

[Maiden69]

Make that ball of sphagnum bigger. Not the best time to start layers, but with the push of roots in the fall and your zone will be ok. I would leave it be, make the ball bigger, make a make shift pot if possible and remove next fall once the tree slows down. I don't think it will push enough roots to survive separated by spring, but given that liquidambar roots are very aggressive it may.

 

[Hbhaska]

Make that ball of sphagnum bigger. Not the best time to start layers, but with the push of roots in the fall and your zone will be ok. I would leave it be, make the ball bigger, make a make shift pot if possible and remove next fall once the tree slows down. I don't think it will push enough roots to survive separated by spring, but given that liquidambar roots are very aggressive it may.

It’s a massive tree and that’s a pretty big ball of sphagnum for its size. I’m not going to disturb those roots for now. Will wait into fall to see where the roots are at and then decide. Thanks

 

[Hbhaska]

Update: October 30, 2021

this thing is filled with roots!

 

[penumbra]

Congratulations. I didn't really think it would work.
Very good to know.

 

[Hbhaska]

Congratulations. I didn't really think it would work.
Very good to know.

Thank you. I think it’s because the tree was extremely vigorous.

 

[penumbra]

Thank you. I think it’s because the tree was extremely vigorous.

Sometimes it is just the nature of the beast.

 

[namnhi]

Feel like the bag is too small to support that big trunk. Up the size as suggested if this is mine.

 

[Arlithrien]

Good on you for proving us wrong. I have a sweetgum airlayer, only sent out like 1 root and that root has thickened up quite a bit lol. I'll check it again soon.

 

[Hbhaska]

Feel like the bag is too small to support that big trunk. Up the size as suggested if this is mine.

I’m thinking of taking down the air-layer in the fall/winter. Southern California weather doesn’t allow roots to freeze or anything.

 

[leatherback]

I’m thinking of taking down the air-layer in the fall/winter. Southern California weather doesn’t allow roots to freeze or anything.

Yup.

The roots should be plenty. Often people forget that only the first 2-4 inches of roots really do anything for uptake of water / nutrients. The rest is just structural. You have planty of "white roots" there.

 

[Hbhaska]

Nov, 20th 2021: Air-layer layer taken down and repotted into a wooden pot. I used a fisker bow saw and it worked like magic. Anchored the tree by putting three 2 inch screws to a flat wooden piece first, then used standard wire (3 mm) to tie it down. Filled with substrate, pumice, lava, pine bark and diatomaceous earth all sifted.

I’m not going to lie but this does not look anything resembling a bonsai. A big fat trunk, no taper, no root flare etc. However, I think it has potential. As you see, the top part already went through some trauma at some stage of its life. Perhaps, I can leverage this and create some sort of artificial taper with one branch as a leader and another as a side branch; will have to carve if I decide to do something like this. If you have other ideas, I’d really appreciate if you don’t mind sharing. Thank you and have a wonderful thanksgiving weekend.

 

[Hbhaska]

Update June 19th 2022: Both parent and air-layer tree are doing well. I pruned heavily and then sawed off a third of the parent tree at an angle from the top to create some sort of taper. I will take years for this to heal but I’m in no rush

 

[VAFisher]

If it was mine, on the layer, I would splay those roots outward, cut off the bottom of the trunk just under the root plane and then screw it to a board. As it is now, that's a full soda can distance between the root plane and the bottom of the tree which will make it difficult to eventually get into a bonsai pot unless it's a very deep one.

 

[Hbhaska]

If it was mine, on the layer, I would splay those roots outward, cut off the bottom of the trunk just under the root plane and then screw it to a board. As it is now, that's a full soda can distance between the root plane and the bottom of the tree which will make it difficult to eventually get into a bonsai pot unless it's a very deep one.

Will do in the next repotting. I didn’t want to disturb the compact, tender, curled up roots along with all the sphagnum moss stuck in there.

 

[Cajunrider]

Update June 19th 2022: Both parent and air-layer tree are doing well. I pruned heavily and then sawed off a third of the parent tree at an angle from the top to create some sort of taper. I will take years for this to heal but I’m in no rush

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That air layer looks good. So many roots!